Filed to story: When The Moon Hides Crown
They’d been observing me for days at the Academy. They’d put the pieces together fast if they caught even a glimpse of my true power.
Worst of all, they wanted to violate me.
Thad to protect my dignity.
And my disguise.
No matter the cost.
I wove through the trees, heart hammering, searching for anything-anything-that could give me an edge.
Then, I saw him.
A massive black wolf, his jaws dripping blood as he pinned an elk to the ground. His piercing blue eyes locked onto me across the clearing.
Dante.
My blood ran cold.
He saw me.
Our gazes collided, recognition instantly flared.Terror jolted through me. Before he could react, I tore my gaze awa and sprinted past him in a blur.
Only to stumble into another nightmare.
Not far ahead, another black wolf loomed over a dead lion, his massive frame stained with blood.
I knew those eyes.
Violet. Cold. Unforgiving.
Ronan.
My heart plummeted.
The last person, the absolute last person I wanted to see me…saw me.
The real me.
Seraphina.
SERAPHINA
Perhaps the Goddess had taken my words too seriously during the challenge, when I’d wondered how much worse things could get. Now, I was being chased by four disgusting werewolves, their snarls echoing through the trees like a death knell.
Worse being seen by Dante, and ahead of me stood a massive figure. A regal, black wolf loomed in the clearing, carved from the shadows of midnight itself, blood dripping from his maw. A tiger. Dead and broken, lay at his feet.
My heart seized as our eyes locked.
Time halted. The forest held its breath.
He didn’t move, but he saw me. Really saw me.
Why was Ronan here too?
He must’ve realized I was a female. He must’ve known my presence was out of place in these deadly woods. That I was forbidden. But had he figured out who I really was?
Seth Darven.
No, not without my scent. Without it, there was no way he could know.
Yet the way he stared at me…frozen, unblinking, as if his body had forgotten how to move, sent a shiver down my spine. That stare…it wasn’t just suspicious. It was something primal, dangerous.
What if he joined the others? What if he planned to take advantage of me?
Men were all the same-lustful, depraved. Seeing women as nothingmore than a piece of meat to ruin at their convenience. Why would he be any different?
The wind howled through my fur as I sprinted through the trees, branches clawing at me while the thunder of paws crashed behind like a coming storm. My heart beat violently in my chest, but my eyes stayed locked on Ronan’s wolf, still unmoving.
And then I made up my mind.
There’s no way I’m letting him figure out who I was-or letting them ruin me.
I told Phina as a familiar scent reached my nose.
Could it be…?
My heart leapt with panic…
My paws barely touched the earth as I glanced to my right. Ronan, not far behind, followed my line of sight.
The darkness. A familiar one.
Our eyes met again. In that moment, I saw his expression shift as if he’d read my thoughts.
But 1 acted first.
With a burst of speed, I veered right, plunging into the shadows.
Behind me, the growls grew louder.
“Fuck! Where the hell is this she-wolf going?!”
“Don’t stop! Get her!” Reed barked in his wolf form.
All four surged after me, unaware of what lay ahead.Then-eyes. Glowing in the black.
One pair. Then another. Then more.
Dozens of glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness, freezing the wolves in place.
“What the fuck..” Reed murmured, backing away as the others followed suit.
From the shadows, a massive brown wolf emerged-wild, furious, and terrifying.